Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) his Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

David Lidington: Information relating to assets and liabilities held by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its non-departmental public bodies is a matter of public record, and appears in the FCO's annual report and accounts. A consolidated Statement of the FCO's Financial Position as at 31 March 2012, including details of assets held for sale, can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32880/annual-report-accounts-2011-12.pdf

Cost Effectiveness / Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library (a) his Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending;
	(2)  if he will publish details of all (a) his Department's and (b) its non-departmental public bodies' existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

Norman Baker: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Housing Benefit: Greater London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the availability of affordable one-bedroom homes for single-person households to downsize into in (a)) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency and (b) the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Steve Webb: This information is not available

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) his Department and (ii) its non- departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Mark Hoban: Details of assets and liabilities held by the Department and its non-departmental public bodies are published in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts via the Statement of Financial Position. The latest audited accounts relate to the financial year 2011-12 and are available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-work-and-pensions-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-to-2012
	Detailed information regarding assets and liabilities could be collated only by undertaking an exercise to look at each asset/liability individually. Such an exercise could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.
	Notes 18 and 19 of the 11/12 Annual Report and Accounts disclose disposals made during the year by category.
	Additional details for non-departmental public bodies can be obtained via their individually published Annual Reports and Accounts. Links are provided in the table for your convenience:
	
		
			 NDPB Web address 
			 Health and Safety Executive http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/index.htm 
			 Independent Living Fund http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090105201051/http://ilf.org.uk/cms_media/files/final_accounts_06fund_17jul08_website.pdf 
			 National Employment Savings Trust http://www.nestpensions.org.uk/schemeweb/NestWeb/public/aboutUs/contents/library.html 
			  http://www.nestpensions.org.uk/schemeseb/NestPublicWeb/faces/public/search/pages/simpleSearch.xhtml?search_text=NEST+Annual+Report+and+Accounts+210-11 
			  http://www.nestpensions.org.uk/schemeweb?NestWeb/includes/public/docs/NEST-annual-report-accounts-2011-2012.PDF.pdf

Excise Duties: Beer / Alcoholic Drinks

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the effect on (a) wine, (b) spirits and (c) beer consumption of the decision to freeze beer duty in Budget 2013;
	(2)  when calculating estimated income from alcohol duty receipts, what estimates his Department has made of consumption of (a) beer, (b) wine and (c) spirits in the next three years;
	(3)  what estimate his Department uses for taxation purposes of the average strength of wine in the UK.

Sajid Javid: holding answers 22 April 2013
	The estimated effect on wine, spirits and beer consumption of the beer duty cut at Budget 13, is presented in table 1 as follows.
	
		
			 Table 1—Effect of beer duty cut on consumption 
			 Percentage 
			  2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 
			 Wine -0.03 -0.04 -0.04 
			 Spirits -0.16 -0.22 -0.23 
			 Beer 2.15 2.90 3.06 
		
	
	The estimates made of consumption of beer, wine and spirits in the next three years used to calculate estimated income from alcohol duty receipts is presented in table 2 as follows.
	
		
			 Table 2—Consumption quantities product 
			 Thousand hectolitre 
			  2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 
			 Wine 12,903 13,222 13,789 
			 Spirits 2,646 2,650 2,687 
			 Beer 40,425 39,208 38,207 
		
	
	The average strength of wine is not used to administer the tax. To administer the tax on wine the Government sets duty rates for ranges of Alcohol by Volume (ABV). HM Revenue and Customs then monitor how much duty is paid in each of these categories and therefore the average strength of wine is not required.
	The Government recognises availability of cheap alcohol is a serious issue and remains firmly committed in tackling this issue. The Government will shortly respond to its alcohol consultation, including with proposals to deal with deeply-discounted alcohol in supermarkets and other stores.